


Building Something

by MeteoraWrites



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author Is Sleep Deprived, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Reluctant Surrogate Father Daryl, Set between The Calm Before and The Storm, Sweet Moments, also kind of canon compliant, building relationships, idk - Freeform, learning ASL
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 14:43:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18345779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeteoraWrites/pseuds/MeteoraWrites
Summary: “What’s goin’ on?”“Connie’s teaching me some ASL,” Lydia says, using a few signs as she speaks and smiling when Connie nods and gives a thumbs up to indicate she used the right signs. “she might not always have something to write with and I wanted to be able to talk to her if that happens...”Daryl grunts in understanding before taking a bite of his dinner and looking between them. “Don’t stop just ‘cause I’m here,” he says after he’s swallowed, keeping his head turned so he knows Connie can see his mouth even as he looks at Lydia. “Maybe I’ll learn somethin’ watchin’ the two of you.”The smile that spreads on Connie’s face at his words is the most brilliant he’s seen yet from the woman. It makes him feel oddly warm all over, and he resists the urge to squirm and shy away from the intensity of it, instead focusing back on his meal.





	Building Something

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So, I'm a little stuck on the idea of Daryl and Connie as a couple <3 and now I'm loving the idea of Daryl as Lydia's surrogate father after everything that's happened. So here's the result of that. Hope you all enjoy.

After the fair Daryl goes to the Hilltop. Lydia ends up tagging along, after a brief argument and a staring contest, not comfortable going with Gabriel and the others from Alexandria. Not yet anyway. It’s been two days of her being his shadow by the time they reach the place Daryl has started to think of like a fortress more than a community. It looks like something out of a children’s storybook every time he sees it from the outside.

Lydia doesn’t even look up as they walk through the gates into the Hilltop. Just looks at the ground beneath her feet as she walks beside Daryl. It isn’t until Dog barks from her left and causes her to jump that she actually lifts her gaze for the first time since they entered the walls.

Connie is walking towards them, a smile on her face as she waves while Dog walks beside her.

Daryl gives a small wave back and notices Lydia raising her hand as well before both arms wrap around herself like they often do. Protecting herself. Daryl used to do the same thing at her age, still does at times without realizing.

“Hey,” he calls out, smiling when Connie mouths the word back and makes a gesture with her hands that he assumes means the same. He looks from her to Dog and whistles to draw the animals attention. It works, and Dog comes running, clearly happy to see him and enjoying the quick scratch behind the ears Daryl offers before turning his attention back to the woman that has been taking care of him.

She scribbles in her little notepad a moment, still smiling even as she turns it for him to read the page. “Are you alright?” It asks.

“Fine. No sign of skinheads on the way. Think they’re leavin’ us alone for now,” Daryl says, shooting Lydia a glance before looking back to Connie.

She looks unimpressed but doesn’t press before she turns to Lydia, tapping the page to get the girls attention.

Blinking, Lydia nods before forcing herself to make eye contact with Connie as she answers. “Yeah. Totally...” she says, sounding less than convincing.

The smile Connie offers in response is a touch sympathetic, but nothing like the looks others give the girl. She opens her arms wide, wiggling her fingers in a clear gesture to come closer. Lydia only hesitating a moment before slowly stepping in and letting herself be wrapped on a warm hug.

It takes Daryl by surprise when the girl actually relaxes after a beat and warps her own arms around Connie as the older woman holds her close and gently rubs her back.

When they part a moment later Lydia smiles, the first real smile Daryl has seen on her face since everything has gone down, and it makes his already tumultuous feelings stir further. On the one hand, he’s a little in awe at the exchange, is always in awe at the things he witnesses from Connie. And on the other, he’s afraid of the way these feelings are developing. For both of the people before him.

Ever since Connie made the point that Lydia was alone in the world and needed them, made him look after her in the first place, he’s seen a lot of himself in the girl. Saw what she’d been through when he faced Beta and the other whisperers. And he saw how her heart broke for Henry and the people she only met briefly that were killed because of her mother’s need to make a point.

And Connie? He’s never met anyone like her. Never been so comfortable with anyone so quickly. He doesn’t even mind looking her in the eye as he speaks because she never looks at him with judgment in her eyes. Not unless he’s being a dumbass and deserves it. And hell if she isn’t a good tracker. But it’s more than that. He likes the way she makes him feel. Like he matters. And not just for the skills he possesses. Her skills are just as good as his, if not better in some cases, even without the ability to hear.

Clearing his throat and tapping Connie on the arm to get her attention, he nods towards the trailers before doing his best to speak clearly. “Mind takin’ her to get cleaned up? I’m gonna go talk with the people in charge. Got a message from Ezekiel. I’ll meet you after for dinner?”

Nodding, Connie wraps an arm around Lydia’s shoulder and gives her a soft smile before starting to lead her to one of the trailers off to the left of the main house. Lydie goes along, only sparing Daryl a quick glance before letting herself be led away.

Daryl watches them go, feeling good about the decision to let the young girl tag along. She needs to be around other people that care. Not just him. And Connie will take good care of her for the time being.

That in mind he goes off to speak to whoever is in charge for the time being until they can have another election.

It’s almost an hour later and close to dark when he finally wanders over to where Connie and Lydia are sitting at a picnic table with two full plates of food in front of them. He pauses on his way to get his own meal, watching how Lydia appears to ask a question, and instead of writing an answer he sees Connie signing something before Lydia holds up her hand and signs it back with a faint smile.

A few minutes later he has his own plate as well as one for Dog in hand as he makes his way over to join them, nodding to a few of the community members he knows in acknowledgment of their greetings. Both girls look up when he takes a seat on Lydia’s side of the table, setting Dog’s dinner down on the ground behind him before turning to face the two. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Connie’s teaching me some ASL,” Lydia says, using a few signs as she speaks and smiling when Connie nods and gives a thumbs up to indicate she used the right signs. “she might not always have something to write with and I wanted to be able to talk to her if that happens...”

Daryl grunts in understanding before taking a bite of his dinner and looking between them. “Don’t stop just ‘cause I’m here,” he says after he’s swallowed, keeping his head turned so he knows Connie can see his mouth even as he looks at Lydia. “Maybe I’ll learn somethin’ watchin’ the two of you.”

The smile that spreads on Connie’s face at his words is the most brilliant he’s seen yet from the woman. It makes him feel oddly warm all over, and he resists the urge to squirm and shy away from the intensity of it, instead focusing back on his meal.

The glow of the few scattered fires around them makes it easy to watch every movement of Connie’s hands as she continues to teach Lydia some basics of sign language. The alphabet to start. He even picks up a hand and tries to sign some letters once he sees how simple they are.

He’s clumsy, one finger not liking to go totally straight from all the times he’s broken it, but Connie just smiles and reaches out to change the way he holds his hand a bit to make it work. He feels the warmth of her hand linger on his after she pulls away and he’s glad it’s dark and his hair covers most of his face because he’s sure he has to be starting to blush like a damn school girl at the attention she gives him.

Lydia huffs a soft little laugh watching them and he shoots her a mild glare for it. ”You think you c’n do better?”

She just holds her hand up and makes the sign for P just as easily as Connie had a moment before in response.

Daryl lets his hand drop back to the table and grumbles under his breath about it being easier for her ‘cause she’s young, before digging back into his dinner and watching them from under his hair where it falls in his face.

The look Connie gives at his petulance is all fondness that makes him hunch in on himself just a touch more. Not really sure how to feel about being on the receiving end of such a look. He’s gotten similar ones from Carol in that past, but from Connie, it feels different.

The two go back to covering the rest of the alphabet, Daryl mimicking some of the other letters under the table where they can’t see he’s still trying. It goes on like this for a while, as they repeat the alphabet two more times. They move on to some basic words after. By then all three are done eating and Daryl actually does go back to fully participating in the little lesson. Learning a few simple signs like thank you and danger and so on.

They go on until Lydia starts to yawn, only stopping when Daryl and Connie trade looks, silently agreeing it’s getting late and they should pack it in for the night. Lydia doesn’t protest, only signs her thanks to Connie before letting herself be pulled into another hug.

Connie looks like she wants to hug Daryl as well, but he turns away, calling to Dog to get him to come back from where he’d been playing with an older man that had been throwing a stick for him to fetch. When he turns back, he says goodnight and leads Lydia off to the trailer that they keep empty for him and others to use when visiting.

“She really likes you, ya know?” Lydia says as she takes the stack of blankets Daryl pulls out for her to take into the one bedroom to use. He’ll sleep on the couch, dog on the floor nearby keeping guard.

“Kinda figured. S’why I asked her to take care of Dog for me,” Daryl brushes off. He knows what she means, at least he thinks he does, and he doesn’t really want to talk about this with a teenage girl. He doesn’t even look at her as he speaks, focusing on spreading the blanket he grabbed himself out on the couch before starting to shuck off his extra layers. No use keeping his jacket and vest on when the trailer is warm to begin with.

She gives him a look, clearly studying him before shaking her head and shifting the pile of blankets in her arms a bit anxiously. “I know you don’t like staying places like this, but I think she’d like it if you stuck around.”

Pausing, Daryl looks over at Lydia, seeing how she looks away and clutches the blankets to herself a little tighter like she isn’t sure she should have said anything. “Gotta visit Alexandria an’ head back to the Kingdom before winter hits... Might come back an’ stay a while after that. Feels like it’s gonna be a rough winter, might be a good idea to spend it someplace safer than the woods,” he concedes. He kind of likes the idea of staying this time around. Especially if Connie really wants him here.

“Do you think...” Lydia starts, looking up to meet his gaze a moment before biting her lip and shaking her head. “I know they said I could stay in Alexandria, but could I maybe stay here? If you do, I mean?”

“It ain’t that simple,” he wishes it was, but he isn’t sure the group running Hilltop would agree. He knows he’s always welcome here, but people have mixed feelings about Lydia. They might not be okay with her sticking around after what happened at the fair.

Lydia gives a crestfallen look, shoulders sagging in defeat. It tugs at something deep down inside Daryl, and he finds himself sighing and scrubbing a hand down his face. “I’ll talk to some people. See what I can do. I ain’t makin’ any promises, though. If they don’t want you stayin’ I’m takin’ you to Alexandria and you’ll stay there when I leave for the Kingdom again. Understood?”

Nodding quickly, Lydia steps forward and leans into him for a quick, awkward hug before turning to walk off into the little bedroom that’s become hers for the night. “Thank you.”

“Y’re welcome. Get some sleep,” he calls back as she disappears into the other room, door closing behind her with a soft click.

Dog gives a whine at his feet and Daryl looks down in the dim light to give the animal a wary look. “What? She’s got no one to look after ‘er,” he mumbles, receiving a tilted head and a paw raising to smack into the one hand still holding his blanket with. Sighing, he drops the blanket and sits down, hands burying in Dog’s fur to give the animal the attention he wants. Scratching his neck and up behind his ears lovingly.

“Suppose I like havin’ her around. She’s quiet, ‘n she doesn’t complain,” he admits to the animal, eye shifting to look at the closed bedroom door. “We’ll see what happens over the next couple days,” he adds with a sigh, giving Dog one last scratch before telling him to lay down. He does the same, kicking his boots off before wrapping the blanket around himself and getting situated on the couch.

Maybe it’d be nice to keep Lydia around. Stick around the Hilltop for the winter and spend more time with Connie. He doesn’t know how things will work out, and he sure as shit isn’t getting his hopes up. But it’s nice to wonder about it as he falls asleep that night. Mind drifting to thoughts of what it’d be like to be on the receiving end of one of those hugs from Connie, or to get a smile out of Lydia like the one he saw Connie get out of her earlier that night. They’re nice thoughts, leading him to pleasant dreams of a better life for them all.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to [Check out my Tumblr](https://meteora-writes.tumblr.com) for story update schedules and other info <3


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